ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) has agreed to establish Mobility & Maintenance Japan Co., Ltd. in partnership with ITOCHU ENEX CO., LTD. (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Tomofumi Yoshida, Representative Director, President and CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU ENEX”), and acquire an equity stake in NALNET Communications (headquartered in Kasugai City, Aichi; Takashi Suzuki, Representative Director, President and CEO; hereinafter “NALNET Communications” ) from two funds* managed and operated by JAFCO Group Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keisuke Miyoshi, Representative Director, President and CEO; hereinafter “JAFCO Group”)

NALNET Communications provides vehicle maintenance management services for car leasing companies. With alliances of 11,500 auto-repair shops nationwide, NALNET Communications efficiently manages fleet maintenance data, and offers a range of services including proper vehicle maintenance management, vehicle residual value guarantees, proposal of personal lease products, and maintenance package sales and lease-up vehicle purchases at appropriate price.

In recent times, as electrification and e-commerce advance, services related to the movement of people and goods are diversifying, the supporting systems for the transportation are also getting complicated. Under such circumstance, ITOCHU will form a strategic partnership with NALNET Communications, one of the leading players in the vehicle maintenance management market. ITOCHU aims to develop a business framework to deal with the changing and diverse automotive maintenance demands and to focus on expanding business related to the automotive aftermarket.

ITOCHU has been involved in automotive businesses, ranging from tire wholesale, retail and recycling, to automotive maintenance mainly in the UK. ITOCHU ENEX has also been involved in various automotive businesses including the gas station business, the car dealership business and the auto auction business. Going forward, The ITOCHU Group aims to leverage the expertise it has cultivated over the years to realize synergy and to enhance the corporate value of NALNET Communications.